Rapid, SD: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Rapid City is a city in and the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed. It is the second-most populous city in the state (after Sioux Falls) with a population of 74,703 as of the 2020 census. The Rapid City metropolitan area has 156,000 residents. Known as the "Gateway to the Black Hills" and the "City of Presidents" because of the life-size bronze president statues downtown, Rapid City is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the city's western and eastern parts, called ‘The Gap.’ Ellsworth Air Force Base is on the city's…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Rapid ranks

All →

#8Most new homes in SD #10Most remote workers in SD #12Lowest obesity in SD All SD rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code57701, 57702, 57703

Area code605

Living in Rapid

Housing in Rapid

$362K▲ 2% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Rapid home is worth about $362,000, up 2% in a year, 12% above the South Dakota typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market60

Sale-to-list98.5%

Sold in May108

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Rapid

D⁻

Safety Grade D-

Rapid reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Rapid 7.7

South Dakota 3.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Rapid 36.4

South Dakota 14.3

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Rapid

Compared with South Dakota

≈Just like South Dakota

No difference on any of 26 measures is outside the margin of error.

Conditions all close Habits all close Care all close Mind all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

Nothing stands out: Rapid tracks South Dakota closely.

Care nearby

Monument Health Rapid City HospitalRapid City · 1.2 mi · ER

Cornerstone Rescue Mission - Men's ShelterRapid City · 0.6 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · part of Rapid

DentalNo shortage

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Rapid · CMS · HRSAHealth in Rapid →

Schools in Rapid

All Rapid schools →

C

School Grade C

The public schools Rapid’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 71% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Rapid’s schools compare in SD →

DistrictRapid City Area School District 51-4Schools33

Valley View Elementary - 13 C-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 605 students General Beadle Elementary - 01 DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 483 students Meadowbrook Elementary - 10 B+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 478 students Corral Drive Elementary - 21 B+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 439 students Grandview Elementary - 06 C-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 431 students Pinedale Elementary - 11 AElementary · Grades K–5 · 377 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within SD. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from RapidWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Rapid.Meet them →